Television and Cultural Change

Television and Cultural Change Research Paper: 1. Introduction Once considered a complete luxury for a family to own, the television has become a stable fixture in British and American households over the past few decades. In recent years, it has become unusual for a family not to own a television set and now it is just as uncommon for a family to own just one. In Britain, the years spanning from 1955 to 1969 saw an increase from 40 percent to 93 per cent of the population owning a television set (Silverstone, 1994, p. 67).Television or â€Å"TV† has become a prominent source for news and entertainment for billions of people around the world. For this, among other reasons, the concept of TV and its content has been the subject of much academic discourse and controversy. A lot of this discourse focuses on the ways television affects changes in societies’ behaviour and culture. This is visible via various scholarly communities. For example, up until 1982, psychologists ha d conducted over 2000 studies regarding the imitation of violence in the mass media.Economists and market researchers have performed similar types of empirical studies regarding imitation and suggestion in advertising (Bollen and Phillips, 1982, p. 802). This paper will combine findings of similar studies in an aim to examine the way television both mediates and contributes to cultural shifts in societies, particularly in Britain and the United States of America. 2. The Interplay of Institutions, Markets and Audiences Television drama, news, factual programming and the transformation of public service broadcasting have all played a huge role in the development of British and American society and cultural change.These changes currently present themselves through communications held between institutions, markets, and audiences. For instance, the consideration of an audience as a market instead of as the public by all types of institutions is the source for much controversy and debate (Walter, 2000, p. 67). This point will be further touched upon when discussing pubic service broadcasting and market-led broadcasting but first we must grasp a general understanding of cultural response to television as media. 3. Positive and Negative Response in SocietyThe communications that develop can be positive, in the case of an increase in democratic involvement or participation in the community but it can be also be negative, in the case of controversial programming, which can arguably contribute to the loss of a child’s innocence and even impair one’s ability to develop critical thinking skills. According to Bernard Berelson, a prominent American behavioural scientist, those with the greatest mass media exposure are much more likely to know a candidate’s stance on various issues (McCombs and Shaw, 1972, p. 77). On the contrary, Kenneth Bollen and David Phillips reported a prime example of how news can lead to a negative change in a society. A study tha t was performed and then replicated for a different time period showed that suicides had increased immediately following (10 days proceeding) a news report of a suicide in the surrounding region (1982). In order to ensure that changes are beneficial and that they contribute to the greater good of people, in this case in Britain and the U. S.A, studies such as this one must be produced and analysed. The study should offer insights, convey patterns, and report facts that can be applied in a practical way. As in the aforementioned case, it is evident that those who produce media have a responsibility for what they produce, whether it is fiction or fact. If watching a news report can incite someone to act on something as extreme as the contemplation of suicide, it may very well do the same for matters of a different nature 4. Public Service Broadcasting and the Free MarketWhen television was invented, it altered all preceding media of news and entertainment as well as many of our instit utions and forms of social relationships (Williams and Williams, 1992). In the public service broadcasting system, the consensus was that television media should be used for the good of the public and that access is guaranteed for all citizens (Walter, 2000, p. 67). Instead, private profit and gain enforced by market-led broadcasting, has compromised the idea of equality in terms of ability to receive information.This dissipation of equality stems from the differences in the general understanding of the roles that broadcasting plays (Walter, 2000, p63). The role that public service broadcasting plays is relevant today even with the new communication technologies of cable and satellite as the former provides quality programming which aims to raise cultural standards and provide a forum for democratic discussion and debate while the latter provides choice merely through exclusion, predicated by the ability of the consumer to pay for the additional services provided (Walter, 2000, p. 4 ). The Protocol to the Amsterdam Treaty dated June 1997 on public service broadcasting states â€Å"the system of public service broadcasting†¦is directly related to the democratic, social and cultural needs of each society†¦ to preserve media pluralism†, and it is in itself the reason why PSB is still relevant today, even for those states who did not sign on this treaty. 5. Understanding and Critiquing News Programming If one should ever listen in on a families’ after dinner conversation, one could often hear a parent commanding his or her offspring to â€Å"Turn that junk off! or questioning them as to â€Å"Why don’t you watch something educational instead? † and other comments of similar nature. The non-junk and educational content they are often referring to is factual programming such as the news. However, even with something as objective as the news there are still a few elements that one should consider when determining its quality and contribution to the viewing audience, as the point of contact between the people, events and politics. The objectivity of a news report should always be considered, just as the bias in a study or an experiment is considered in scientific communities.Many networks, even those provided through PSB, often have agendas and side with a political group. Furthermore, news stations are often pressured to deliver information that will grasp the attention of the viewer foremost, with the achievement of a quality report being a secondary goal. Considering factors such as the frequency and threshold of reported events can help in one’s appraisal. To exemplify the former, one can reflect on a news program dealing with the economic status of the country.If it focuses on temporary events that will not re-occur and do not help draw a picture of the economy as a whole, it is not a quality report. As for threshold, for instance, after the murder of John Lennon, events, which would normally not be considered newsworthy, received more coverage than they should have due to the public’s demand for therapy (Hartley, 1992, p. 76). A rule of thumb for news reporters is that bad news is good news (Hartley, 1992, pg. 76). However, as mentioned in a previous section of this report, empirical evidence shows that this is definitely not he case for the audience, considering the outcome suicide reports have on the subjected audiences behavioral changes. 6. Conclusions 6. 1. The Effects of Television on Society Television has many supporters and critics alike. Some argue that it brings people closer and some maintain that it can cause a divide in a community or even in a family. The way that one comes to these conclusions is by drawing questions such as the following. Do those who are not entitled to as much information due to economic reasons going to feel excluded and unworthy?Does media, such as television, contribute to a decrease of peoples’ participation in politics , the social environment and traditional leisure programs? Does locally produced programming strengthen the local community? These questions, among many others , should be answered in a proper analysis of television’s effect on people. Because those who are raised within a society develop and contribute that society’s culture more, it is vital to pay attention to its younger population. 6. 2. The Effects of Television on Young PeopleYoung people, in particular, have very malleable minds and are greatly affected by the things they see on television. In Sonia Silverstone’s Young People and the New Media, this phenomenon is thoroughly examined (1994). In this article, Silverstone reports of a British team of researchers who posed these types of questions in the form of survey questionnaire and interviews. The subjects ranged in age, gender and social and educational backgrounds in hopes of correlating media usage and effect across different segments of population.F indings showed that although television is considered an adequate source of information, it is also used to fill in the boring gaps of a child’s life. Television has the ability to shape a child’s emotions and it has effects on family life (Silverstone, 1994, p. 64, p. 68). 6. 3. The Effects of Television on the Domestic Space A crucial position in which TV has affected society can be viewed from within the domestic space. The television set has visibly transformed domestic arrangements over the years.In prior times, only the wealthy homes had a set in the family room. In more recent years, television has overtaken individual space as well, allowing for less family communication, a pattern which is now repeating itself with personal computers. Domestic time was also affected as television-viewing time has gradually increased over the years, once again allowing for less family time and communication. An outstanding statistic shows that at one point, Europe’s high est television viewing times belonged to the British population aged 9-16 (Silverstone, 1994, p. 69).In the same year, every age group from 10-16 years old reportedly preferred to watch TV alone as opposed to with friends, siblings, parents or anyone else (Livingstone, 1994). 6. 4. Representation of Reality Our perceptions of reality have been transformed by contemporary celebrity culture via television. The role played by television is that of reinforcement for both the state (which, today can be any figure appearing on a network) and the citizen (the audience). The validation that is provided serves as a means of centralised opinions and styles of behaviour (Williams and Williams, 1992).This is why anxieties about ‘dumbing down’ are in fact legitimate. Let us take an actor who believes that which is not presented in his character on his daytime drama. The audience who views this actor/ actress may adopt to a notion, feeling or belief portrayed by the character, in tur n validating the actor/ actress himself of a new belief system, one that he/ she had not previously considered. Should this belief system be one, deemed by professional opinions and the general public, of bad taste, it would mean that this is not quality television, and it does not produce a good quality of change for the general public as a culture.

Compare and contrast Abercrombie & Fitch and the Gap – company overview

Abercrombie & Fitch and the Gap are premier men's and women's clothing retailers in the United States and around the world. Both companies possess long histories of success and have their fair share of failures. I will compare and contrast how each company has their own distinct characteristics that set it apart from the other, which allows each of company to target specific markets. Via my presentation, I intend to analyze for the reader how each company gains their customers through advertising, target markets, brand segmenting, and pricing strategies, so that the reader may gain a better understanding of each respective company. Marketing the Brands Abercrombie & Fitch Gap Target Market 18-24 year old segment General Appeal for whole family Advertising Images Very sexual, Young, All American Multi-cultural, Brand Segments Abercrombie & Fitch , Hollister, Abercrombie kids Gap Stores, Old Navy, Banana Republic Pricing Strategy Moderate Value to Moderate Chart 1 Criterion for Evaluation Abercrombie & Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch is a leading specialty retailer encompassing three distinct product segments: Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids and Hollister Co. The company focuses on providing high-quality merchandise that compliments the casual, classic American life style. The brand was established in 1892, and sold under the name David T. Abercrombie Co., a small waterfront shop in downtown New York City owned by David Abercrombie. Abercrombie, born and raised in Baltimore Maryland, was a true outdoorsman; as well as an inventor and an ingenious tent and rucksack designer. His love of the great outdoors inspired him to begin Abercrombie & Co., a shop dedicated to selling only the highest quality camping, fishing and hunting gear. His clientele consisted mostly of professional hunters, explorers and trappers, as well as a man named Ezra Fitch. Ezra Fitch was a successful lawyer in Kingston, New York, who loved to spend his free time hiking the Adirondacks and fishing in the Catskills. In search of exceptional outdoor gear, he had come to rely upon David Abercrombie's shop and became one of its most devoted customers. Fitch was so devoted to the brand that in 1900 he convinced Abercrombie to let him buy into the business and become a partner. By 1904, the store was incorporated and the name was officially changed to Abercrombie & Fitch. The store changed locations at this time moving from the waterfront to downtown Broadway, in the heart of New York City. David Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch were both stubborn, hot tempered men, who held vastly different views about the future of their business. Abercrombie was more conservative, he was content how the store was, selling professional gear to professional outdoorsmen. On the other hand, Fitch was more of a visionary; he believed that the two should take the business and expand, selling the â€Å"outdoorsmen† way of life to the general public. The two partners could never come to a conclusion about their business, inevitably the partnership came to an end, and David Abercrombie resigned in 1907 (www.yahooshopping.com). Under the sole leadership of Ezra Fitch the store's focus was expansion. Fitch decided to change the shop so that it would not be an ordinary sporting goods shop, he was determined that the store have an outdoor feeling. Through his imagination and creativity he set up a shop where stock was not hidden behind glass, instead it was displayed as if in use. Displays were set up to feel as if the customer were in the middle of the Adirondacks, with a campfire blazing in one corner and an experienced guide in attendance. The clerks hired by Fitch were not professional salesman, but true sportsmen who listened and talked with the customer, and who sold the products only on the customers' insistence. By 1913, the store moved again, this time to a more fashionable and easily accessible midtown address, off Fifth Avenue. At this time the store expanded its inventory to include sport clothing, becoming the first store in New York to supply such clothing to men and women. Fitch, shortly after Abercrombie's resignation, decided to begin selling merchandise through a catalog. This catalog featured 456 pages of outdoor gear and clothing as well as camping, hunting and fishing advice to over 50,000 prospective customers around the world. Orders started coming in across the globe, thus bringing international status to the store. As the store continued to expand, it needed more and more space to occupy its increasing inventory and product lines. By 1917, Abercrombie & Fitch moved to Madison Avenue and 45th Street, where it occupied an entire twelve story building. At this time A&F, had become the largest and most impressive sporting goods store in the world ( www.Yahooshopping.com). Both the inside and the outside of the store were amazing, a sign proclaiming â€Å"Where the Blazed Trial Crosses the Boulevard†, was placed in front of the shop and a log cabin was built on the roof, which Fitch used as his townhouse. Next to the cabin he had a casting pool installed where serious fishermen could sample the store's collection of rods and flies while in the basement he set up an armored rifle range for hunters. Fitch capitalized on all of his innovative ideas, a golf school was set up, a floor dedicated solely to completely set-up camps, and a dog and cat kennel as well. Not wanting to miss any opportunity to grow, Fitch decided to capture the more exotic sporting goods equipment; hot air balloons, yachting pennants, portable trampolines, treadmills for exercising dogs, throwing knives, and everything a person could possibly need for falconry, were brought into the store. This made Abercrombie & Fitch a true sportsmen's haven (Hoover's 10-15). Not only did Abercrombie & Fitch outfit the general publics' outdoor needs, it outfitted many great hunting and exploration expeditions, such as Theodore Roosevelt's trips to the Africa and the Amazon and Robert Peary's expedition to the North Pole. The famous clientele did not stop with these two men, Ernest Hemingway brought his guns there, Presidents Hoover and Eisenhower relieved on A&F for the best fishing equipment. Other famous clientele included Amelia Earhart, Presidents Taft, Harding and Kennedy, the Duke of Windsor, Bing Crosby, Howard Hughes, Katherine Hepburn, Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. After twenty four years creating and expanding Abercrombie & Fitch, Ezra Fitch decided to retire from the business to enjoy the outdoors life. When Fitch retired the store continued to grow, with stores opening up in Chicago and San Francisco. But by the late 1960's the store begin to falter and went bankrupt in 1977. A Houston, Texas based company, Oshman's Sporting Goods, brought the company but business was not good. The company eventually sold it to The Limited Inc, in 1988, which repositioned the company into a more fashion-oriented casual apparel business with around 25 stores. Michael Jeffries, the current CEO of Abercrombie& Fitch, took over the company in 1992 and transformed the still money losing chain into an outfitter for college students. He micromanaged the company, issuing a 29 page handbook on everything from how A&F salespeople must look to exactly how many sweaters can be placed in a stack. This strategy worked and the company began to see profits in fiscal year 1995. The company went public in 1996 with more than 110 stores (Hoovers, 1-5). Today, Abercrombie & Fitch has been repositioned as a lifestyle brand, targeted at college students and is focused on high quality casual apparel in a classic American style. It targets preppy college students and makes them feel at home in its stores by hiring a college aged sales staff and decorating its stores with posters of twenty-something models. A&F's image as the clothier for a social elite class has, in some circles, earned its clientele the nickname â€Å"Aber-Snobbies†. The concept behind targeting the college age student is that by doing so Abercrombie & Fitch will attain a much broader customer base. â€Å"The younger high school age children aspire to be college kids. And then if you are targeting a young, active lifestyle that attracts older customers as well, people want to think of themselves as active and young.† Seth Johnson, Executive Vice President and COO of Abercrombie & Fitch. The Abercrombie & Fitch lifestyle is portrayed not only through company management, but also through the celebrities that patronize the brand. Many high profile celebrities wear A&F, thus giving free advertisement to the brand. These contemporary trendsetters, in terms of sports personalities, actors, actresses and musicians wear the Abercrombie label and thus people see these trends and want to become a part of them. Since the retail outlets are easily accessible in major malls in every state, these â€Å"trendy† and â€Å"luxurious† are now readily available to common folk, at a premium market price. Abercrombie & Fitch sells the lifestyle across three distinct brands: Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie and Hollister. Currently there are over 597 stores throughout the United States across the three brands, and this number is increasing, in 2002 alone the company opened 112 new stores. Each brand is geared to a different age set, this way as the individual grows up, Abercrombie & Fitch is there to clothe all of the stages. The children's store, abercrombie kids (with a lower case A) was introduced in 1997 and targets the age group of 7-14 year olds. Today there are over 170 abercrombie stores located in malls throughout the United States. The newest concept, Hollister, is based on the West Coast lifestyle and is geared toward the high school age, 14-17 years old. It is also priced significantly less than its parent store, Abercrombie & Fitch. Introduced in July of 2000, Hollister already has 129 stores and Abercrombie & Fitch plans to open at least 70 more stores in the next year. In 2002, Hollister improved its sales productivity and gross margin, and the business is now making a solid profit contribution. Hollister is doing so well that projections indicate Hollister to be a 600-800 store business. As the individual becomes ready for college, Abercrombie & Fitch is there. Today the namesake operates 352 stores across the United States, gearing its brands, as mentioned above to the college age set, 18 years and older. Through the use of three separate brands, Abercrombie & Fitch is able to smoothly transfer brand loyalty and retain customers of all ages. Abercrombie & Fitch stores are placed amongst high end trendy stores, with established brand names. It would be unusual to find an Abercrombie store nestled in a far away corner of a mall, next to a food court. Typically it is located in a high customer traffic area, around other designer stores which also serve to enhance its reputation and face value. Placing its stores in these key areas brings Abercrombie & Fitch the exposure and type of customer it is targeting. Abercrombie & Fitch not only sells through its 597 stores, but also via the internet at www.abercrombie.com, as well as the A&F Quarterly. The internet and the A&F Quarterly made up 4.7% of 2002 net sales and have steadily been increasing since the introduction of the two sales mediums (A&F Annual Report, 6). The online experience for Abercrombie & Fitch not only offers e-commerce, but provides entertainment features that seek to mimic virtual store shopping. The website includes downloadable features including wallpaper and photos that can be found in retail stores as well as the ability to download songs that are heard in the stores. The online changing room allows for mixing and matching throughout the store without the hassle of real fitting rooms, hangers and lines. As far as payment is concerned, checkout is hassle free by using the A&F credit card or any variety of credit cards. Delivery is as efficient as payment, since teaming up with UPS; orders can be processed and delivered within 24 hours. The internet has proved an important medium for gaining and retaining customers for Abercrombie & Fitch, coupled with the A&F Quarterly, combined sales will steadily grow and become a significant amount of total sales for the three brands over the next ten years (A& F Annual Report, 8-11). The Company's catalogue, the A&F Quarterly, appeared in late 1997, and became an immediate success as a marketing tool. The first catalogue â€Å"Naughty or Nice† Christmas was so popular that sales rose by 27% (www.Youthtools.com). A&F sells around 300,000 copies a year charging around seven dollars an issue, the company is able to make a sale even if the customer only looks at the catalogue, which is also considered to be a magazine. The Quarterly is a mixture of feature articles, pages displaying the product and page upon page of nearly naked twentysomethings photographed by the famed photographer Bruce Weber. â€Å"Much like Vogue and GQ, the Quarterly serves as a means of aspirational and inspirational living for young men and women all over the country† (Johnson, 4). The company has created quite a stir with the introduction of the catalog as a marketing medium, when the Quarterly comes to circulation four times a year, it usually becomes the talk of parents, Religious Groups, the news media etc., bringing more attention to Abercrombie & Fitch. The company has found a way to combat this negative image, by only allowing persons over the age of 18 to purchase the magazine as well as producing a â€Å"cleaner† catalogue. This â€Å"cleaner†, free catalogue only shows the clothing in a straightforward manner, minus the photography of Bruce Weber and the articles. Abercrombie & Fitch uses both catalogs to gain customers and show the â€Å"lifestyle† through its models. â€Å"This publication is meant to be the voice of the American youth, a chronicle of the college experience. It conveys the image of the brand – it is sexy and beautiful and healthy and energetic†- Hampton Carney A&F spokesman (Nolan, 2). Spring Catalogue Cover 2002 Abercrombie & Fitch understands and is able to target its specific markets through a variety of ways. The company sends out around 30 staffers each month to visit college campuses to chat up students about what they play, wear, listen to and read, whereas store managers visit fraternities and sororities to recruit â€Å"brand representatives†, who work as few as five hours a week. These brand representatives, must all have the all American look, blond, blue-eyed and preppy, pervasive in its stores, catalogues and websites. â€Å"Brand representatives are ambassadors to the brand, we want to hire brand reps that will represent the Abercrombie & Fitch brand with natural classic American style, look great while exhibiting individuality, project the brand and themselves with energy and enthusiasm, and make the store a warm, inviting place that provides a social experience for the customer†- Tom Lennox A&F Communication Director (Greenhouse, 2). Abercrombie & Fitch is a lifestyle brand; it is targeted in such a way as to make people want to belong to it and show loyalty to the brand. â€Å"A&F shrewdly understands that teens want to belong, and therefore has captured their dollars by making sure they want to belong to the beautiful, exclusive world that the Abercrombie image projects† (www.youthtools.com). By continuously pursuing this marketing strategy it is clear to see that Abercrombie & Fitch will be in the marketplace for a long time. GAP Inc. Gap Inc. is a leading international specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy brand names. The company's stores aim to offer a shopper-friendly environment with an assortment of casual apparel and accessories that emphasize style, quality and good value (www.Gap.com). Gap Inc. was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and his wife Doris. The couple named their store after the â€Å"generation gap† and concentrated on selling Levi's jeans. When Gap first opened its doors it was unique and new. It prided itself in having the â€Å"individual style†. At this time the Gap's hottest seller was its â€Å"basic look†, which consisted of its signature blue jeans and white cotton t-shirts. The first store was opened near what is today San Francisco State University and the second store was opened in San Jose, California, by the end of 1970 there were six Gap stores. The Gap went public six years later (Hoovers, 1). In the beginning the Fishers catered almost exclusively to teenagers, but in the 1970s they expanded into activewear that would appeal to a larger spectrum of customers. Nevertheless, by the early 1980s the Gap, which had grown to about 500 stores, was still dependent upon teenagers but less dependent on Levi jeans, because of its growing emphasis on private label makers (Levy, 1-3). In a 1983 effort to revamp the company's image, Donald Fisher hired Mickey Drexler, a former president of Ann Taylor as the Gap's new president. Drexler changed the old clothing lines of plain blue jeans and white t-shirts so as to concentrate on sturdy brightly colored cotton clothing. He also consolidated the stores' many private clothing labels in to the Gap brand. Lastly, Drexler replaced circular clothing racks with white shelving so clothing could be neatly stacked and displayed. During this time Gap Inc. bought Banana Republic, one its three distinct brands the company owns. At this time the brand was a unique chain of jungle -themed stores that sold safari clothing. Gap expanded the chain, which enjoyed tremendous success in the mid 1980s but slumped after the novelty of the stores wore off late in the decade. To counter this slump, Drexler introduced a broader range of higher priced clothing and got rid of the safari lines in 1988. By 1990 Banana Republic was again profitable. In 1985, the first GapKids opened in 1985 after Drexler could not find clothing that he liked for his son. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company grew rapidly, opening its first stores in Canada and the UK. In 1990 it introduced babyGap in 25 GapKids stores, featuring miniature versions of its GapKids line. Also during this time the Gap announced it would no longer sell Levi Jeans and would sell nothing but private label items (Hoover's, 2-8). During the early 1990s earnings fell because of Gap division losses brought on by low margins and high rents. The company rebounded by opening Old Navy Clothing Co., named after a bar Drexler saw in Paris. The company also opened two Banana Republic stores outside the United States in Canada. For the last couple of years, the Gap had begun to stray away from its former vision of classic clothing, and during this time the company had hit a record sales slump. Gap's CEO Drexler seemed to have lost his touch, since he did most of the merchandising for the company he choose clothing with flair and design: bolder colors, low rider jeans, small form fitting tops, and stretchy materials. Gap went from casual to very trendy, alienating and displeasing many of its core customers. In May 2002, Drexler decided to salvage the company and thus began a â€Å"Back to Basics† campaign. Drexler wanted to bring back the old apparel, the old ads, and the old management style. He wanted to bring back everything that was once Gap Inc. and its identity (Gap Annual Report, 10-15). Today Drexler is no longer the head of Gap Inc. but his â€Å"Back to Basics† campaign still lives on through the current CEO, Paul Pressler, the former Chairman of Walt Disney's Global Theme Parks. The company is bringing back all of what made Gap unique when it first opened. It is reemphasizing the basics and promoting its classic fit jeans, signature khakis and cotton tops, as well as simplifying its mix of colors and fabrics and remembering that 90% of the tops it sold were the color blue. Through this campaign the Gap has regained some of its previous customers and plans to evolve from this point (Levy, 1-3). Gap Inc. must remember who its target market is, the family, and their market strategy is such that from babies to adults Gap has something for everyone. This target marketing is seen through the three distinct brands Gap Inc. operates: Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. All three brands target different price ranges and different styles; from chic stylish apparel to everyday relaxing pants Gap Inc. has a product for everyone. Banana Republic was bought by the Gap in 1983, and it is known for casual luxury with high quality apparel for men and women. It has also introduced a sophisticated line of seasonal collections of accessories, shoes, personal care products, intimate apparel and gifts for the home. Today there are over 430 stores in the United States and Canada. The brand caters to the 30 years and older consumer who is more affluent and fashion-oriented. Banana Republic stores are primarily located in major cities, however the introduction of the catalogue has enabled the brand to expand its consumer reach to cities without a store location. The brand also has its own website and high-image advertising that help promote the idea of the high profile Banana Republic lifestyle (www.Gapinc.com). Old Navy, launched in 1994, was created to capture an even broader audience then the Gap with its moderate prices. It has quickly become the Gap Inc.'s portfolio star. Old Navy's strategy differs from the Gap because it offers a product mix with an edgier fashion look but with a broader fashion range. Old Navy makes shopping fun and fashion affordable to the whole family. The stores sell everything from basic denim, khakis and graphic tees to casual clothing for work and play. Today the company has more than 840 locations in the United States and Canada and customers can also shop around the clock at www.oldnavy.com (www.oldnavy.com). The Gap stores sell through a variety of namesake stores including Gap, GapKids, babyGap and Gap Outlet. With 2,608 stores throughout the world, the company strives to be the world's headquarters for khakis. Customers expect classic styles from the Gap for the whole family, by having different segments of the Gap, the brand is able to grow up with the consumer and gain brand loyalty. The Gap is also easily accessible through its website www.gap.com, which only offers e-commerce (Brady, 112-113). Gap Inc. prides itself on the individual, and constantly challenging itself to think about what the customer wants instead of what other stores are selling. Under the guidance of Pressler, Gap Inc. is no longer targeting teens, who change their minds rapidly, but rather its initial target the family as individuals. Gap wants to win back the trust of the customers it had lost. Through advertising the Gap is emphasizing the individual and that everyone no matter what age, color, sex, or ethnicity the Gap has something for them. â€Å"Gap is a brand people can make their own, and now Gap Inc. is offering a chance for everyone to be in one of the Gap print ads. They are looking for individuals who personify the Gap brand-intriguing people with personal style† (Levy, 3-6). Gap Inc. is one of the most successful retailers in the world and now that it has gone back to its target market will continue to gain market share through its three distinct brands. Conclusion Abercrombie & Fitch and the Gap Inc. are both highly respected international brands that hold large market shares in the retail industry. Each company targets different markets through different mediums. Abercrombie & Fitch focuses on the younger age groups with sexy, more stylish clothing while the Gap targets to the family with basic, sturdy clothing. Both companies have three distinct brands which cater to individuals in their target markets, whereas A&F's segmentation is more age based, Gap Inc. is more monetarily segmented. Looking towards the future both companies seem to understand what they have failed to accomplish in the past and are looking toward the future on how to improve their marketing strategies to their target markets to gain sales and brand loyalty.

Analysis of Emily Dickinsons Poem, Because I could not stop for Death

Emily Dickinson's poem I can not stop dying Out of Emily Dickinson's poem Can not stop dying represents a reflection of the speaker against death. This poem focuses on the concept of life after death. The background of this verse reflects the approach of death, death is kind and considerate. Through immortal promises, fear is removed, and death not only becomes acceptable, but also is welcomed. As a human being, we believe that death is never coming at a convenient or appropriate time. Eunice Glenn commentator on Emily Dickinson 's Emily Dickinson' s I can not stop dying commented as follows. The word good will is particularly meaningful as it may become a feature of death soon. This is also surprising (Glen), as death is often considered serious and horrible. - Analyze Emily Dickinson's poem I can not stop dying. This poem focuses on the concept of life after death. The background of this verse reflects the approach of death, death is kind and considerate. Through immortal promises, fear is removed and death not only becomes acceptable but also welcomed Since I can not stop death, I was declared Emily Dickinson's most famous poem. This poem reveals the acceptance of calm death of Emily Dickinson. She portrayed her death as a gentleman and she was surprised at her visit. Emily depicts everyday scenes as life cycles. Her metaphor is exploring death in a fictional way, but her lines often contain as much uncertainty as meaning. Life and death are oriented forever and are considered not so important in the eternal framework. - Emily Dickinson, using symbolism, was able to create a theme with the theme I can not stop death. . We travel with the speakers and guide us through life, death and other stages. In this poem the symbol we first encountered is death. At their conference, the lecturer is dying as if he is the boss who is at the meeting.

Managerial Economics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managerial Economics - Coursework Example This will put off the company that is to enter the market as the profit margin will seem to be very low and might even constitute to losses. This leaves the first company to enjoy monopolistic markets. The manager of this company will reduce the products’ prices to monopolistic market prices there by enjoying the monopolistic profits. By decreasing the prices of the products the company that is to enter into the market will be discouraged as the profit margin will be very low and may also leading to losses. The profitability of the firm with the marketing power will decrease with increase in capital interest as the borrowing costs increases there will be a decrease in supply there by attracting another company to satisfy the demand. This forces the companies to sell at a lower price than the monopolistic market price. If this continues, the company is bound to go into losses in the long run. 2. IHC hospitals are thinking of using a smart phone system to send health record data, laboratory test results data, and charge/payment data to the Mountain Star hospitals system when patients use any combination of medical services between the two hospital organizations. Mountain Star has been thinking of a similar idea of exchange. Going forward with such inter-hospital data communication means that a given data sharing network has to be developed. The cost savings involved in initiating such a system are the driving force of the decision but there are questions about these savings and the standard upon which the intercommunication is to be operated. The projected cost savings (in $millions) for each standard (Apple relative to Android) are given in the normal form payoff table below for each hospital conglomerate, with IHC cost savings given first in going from left to right. It reflects a good technology. This is because independent of the smart phone mountain star opts for IHC will go for apple phone as it yields the best pay off. The

Social Responisbility and marketing ethics Coursework

Social Responisbility and marketing ethics - Coursework Example Employees also require more than just a paycheck and the society generally requires the firm to be a better corporate citizen, employ from the community, take care of the environment and so on. Regulators require the firm to tow the legal line and communities expect firms to be philanthropic enough and give back by reaching out to the community and assisting them in what they do. Milton Friedman, who was an American statistician, economist as well as a writer is accredited with the above statement. Some examples of socially responsible product decisions include; the Body Shop created a lasting business model by virtue of investing in the development as well as encouragement of products that shun animal testing in addition to using ingredients that are environmentally friendly. The second is decision by Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics –spent 3 years on research and development to come up with a soap not made from palm oil (Bryan, 2010). The concept of sustainability is a step in the right direction and that businesses should embrace since it creates the potential to maintain a system functioning indefinitely without necessarily depleting resources, maintains economic viability as well as nourishing the requirements of not only the present but also future generations. Though there are rising indications that many American businesses at present are not sustainable, there have been efforts to make others sustainable. A number of visionary business managers and owners are already assisting create consensus by building and maintaining organizations that are sustainable (Steven, 2013). To those who feel that marketing is manipulating the consumer, the answer would be that they need to realize that marketing exists since there is a product developed by a company that it needs to sell to people. A company therefore will use any possible means to make sure that consumers are aware of the product so they can go out and buy the

Teenage Sex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teenage Sex - Essay Example Upon gathering related research articles from the UAH-Salmon Library, the moral, ethical, health, and social issues related to teenage sex will be tackled in details. Eventually, significant ways on how my cultural background and the place where I grew up affect my attitude and values regarding teenage sex will be provided in this study. Prior to conclusion, the pros and cons of incorporating sex education in the school system will be thoroughly discussed. Morality means that the act of a person should not go against religion which could lead a person to experience â€Å"defilement†, â€Å"sin†, and â€Å"guilt† (Farley, 2006, p. 175). In relation to morality, ethics is a moral philosophy which is commonly used when judging whether or not a specific human action is classified as moral or immoral. Religions like Catholics, Protestant, and Jewish acknowledges that the act of making love should be done within the context of marriage (between the husband and wife). Therefore, it is immoral and unethical for high school students to engage themselves in teenage sex. Teenage sex is a serious socio-economic problem because the act of engaging in sexual activities at an early age could lead to unplanned pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is one of the most common reasons why a young woman would drop out from school (The National Campaign, 2010). Because of the tight competition in the labor market, there is a strong possibility that a pregnant teenager who is not able to finish school will have more difficulty finding a decent job. Therefore, teenage pregnancy could lead to serious economic problems after a teenage mother gives birth. In relation to unprotected teenage sexual activity, the health of the mother is compromised because of the increased risk of becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. Almost all teenage women who become

Beginner's mind Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Beginner's mind - Assignment Example Generally, these physicists do not use or think of nonsense. Many of these physicists spend their expert lives having thoughts along well reputable thought lines. The scientists seen in establishing the reputable lines of thought are seen not to involve themselves boldly into nonsense (Zukav, 117). In physics, the individuals who might have felt the excitement of the creative process are the individuals who have best slipped the bonds of the recognized to undertake far in the territories that have not been explored and lying beyond the noticeable barrier. This kind of an individual has two traits. The first trait is a childlike capability of viewing the world as it is and not as it is seen according to what individuals recognize about it (Zukav, 118). For example, in â€Å"The Emperor’s New Clothes,† when the emperor passed through the roads, a child stated that the emperor did not have clothes while the other individuals forced themselves in believing that the emperor dressed in his best new clothing. The child is seen by the individuals to be innocent and naà ¯ve (Zukav, 118). The second trait is the strong confidence that the scientists and the artists have in them. This confidence is a manifestation of an inner strength that enables them in speaking out, confident in the facts that, appearances to the disagreeing, it is the universe that is mixed up and not them (Zukav, 118). In conclusion, the first individual to see an impression that has been flourished by other individuals for centuries certainly stays in a lonely area. In that insight moment, the individual only sees the noticeable which the rest of the world views it as madness or nonsense. This sureness is not the fool’s obstinacy, but the surety of him recognizing what he recognizes and recognizing that he can express it to other individuals in a meaningful way (Zukav,

Renewable Energy in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Renewable Energy in Canada - Essay Example The second largest renewable source is wind that generates 1.6 percent of Canadian electricity. The third largest source is biomass with 1.4 percent share. Moreover, wind and photovoltaic energies are rapidly growing renewable sources in Canada. This paper briefly explores renewable energy and its contributions in Canada (NRCAN). Renewable energy is a kind of energy obtained from natural resources which can be renewed and regained within human lifespan, for instance, moving wind and sunshine. Numerous technologies and equipment are developed in order to exploit the potential natural resources. These equipments produce energy in the form of electricity, thermal energy, industrial heat, and transportation fuels (NRCAN). Canada's leading energy (renewable and other) resource is hydroelectric power. Most of this power is generated in water-rich and less populated Northern Canada in order to provide for urbanized South, for instance, Quebec's export to the U.S. Rapidly growing form of ren ewable energies are wind , solar, geothermal, and biomass. In 2009, Canada's generating capacity was 125,485 MW with 60 percent generated from renewable resources. Hydro power generation meets 90 percent of electricity demand in British Columbia and Quebec. However, British Columbia is a net importer while Quebec is a net exporter. Oil and natural gas resources are plentiful in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and Northern Ontario is rich in coal. On a national level, 20 percent generation is from nuclear source, 15 percent coal, and 5 percent is from natural gas source. Wind and solar energy are also gaining popularity through feed-in tariff (FIT). Enacted in 2009, FIT forced Ontario to trailing in North American market activity.FIT is supported by investor due to the money that flows upfront into the project (Wagman, 2011). It is estimated that Canada's generating capacity of 19,000 MW will retire by 2050.In addition, 45,000 MW generating capacity is required to meet the exi sting growth projects. Federal government's goal is to generate 90 percent of Canada's energy through non-emitting resources by the year 2020(Wagman, 2011). Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has signed 40 large-scale renewable energy projects under the province FIT program. These new projects include, solar, water, and wind projects which are expected to attract $3.04 billion in private sector investment. It will generate over 872MW renewable power, of which, 357MW is from 35 solar projects, 500KM from water project, and 615MW from four wind projects. It is claimed that these projects will produce 240 wind turbines and one million solar panels in Ontario. Canada's wind capacity is 3,549MW in 2011, and Ontario is the leading provider with1, 248MW or one third of the total wind energy production. Moreover, another one third is generated by Quebec (663MW) and Alberta (656 MW). Seven other provinces generate the final one-third of total energy. According to CanWEA, there is tenfold increase in wind energy production over the last six years (Wagman, 2011). Another comparatively untapped renewable technology is geothermal energy. Canada shares the same continental shelf and geology as Latin America, Mexico, and United States, and has other undeveloped 200 hot springs. However, federal government and provinces have failed to implement policies and regulations for further development of geothermal energy (Wagman, 2011). According to

Describe the differences between a software analysis model and the Essay

Describe the differences between a software analysis model and the design model - Essay Example After the project pass the feasibility study, the estimation of cost, time and efforts is done. Incorrect estimation of these resources may lead to cost overruns and might prove fatal to the project. The result of the software analysis model is a detailed SRS (Software Requirement Specification) document describing of the system’s functionality as per the customer’s requirements. This document would define the system and serves as the base for rest of the processes in the software development life cycle (SDLC). Software design model aims to design the conceptual model of the system, which defines various processes involved in the system and also the data used at each process. The software design can be expressed using various diagrams including activity diagrams, sequence diagrams, collaboration diagrams etc. They represent the flow of information as well as the entities involved within the system, based upon which the actual implementation and coding of the software is done. One of the important models for software design is object-oriented design model, in which we identify various objects that occur in the solution domain and the relationship between these objects. After this, detailed design of the object model is done. Other important software design models are prototyping and spiral lifecycle models. ... Reliability of software is of utmost importance towards implementing critical applications, for example: the software used in aerospace systems. Reliability of the software also increases its availability for any additional development. Also, software reliability enhances customer satisfaction, thus, resulting in the low maintenance demands of the system. Another important characteristic of reliable software is that it effectively handles wrong input from the user and prevent from any system failure as a result of the wrong input. Further, reliable software continuously monitors any defects or faults in the system and quickly report/detect these faults. Reusability: A good software design should make the components of software development as reusable. Reusability of software objects reduces the development time and also increases programmer’s productivity and the software quality. However, dependencies of software components on the other parts of the software reduce its reusab ility, and thus reduce the number of contexts in which these components can be invoked in. Also, software reusability depends on the programmer’s understanding of the system and his capability to reuse the components to make a better and an efficient system. Another one of the major advantages of reusability is the reduced development costs and faster software deployment. However, there are issues related to software reuse for example: lack of organizational support to institutionalize software reuse, intellectual property rights and contractual problems of software reuse Flexibility: We may require changing certain features of the existing software in terms of adding more functionality

US army leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

US army leadership - Essay Example Perhaps, it is these values, principles, and system that make the soldier have the respect that is accorded him everywhere he goes. ‘An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot’. The implementation of the structures however depends largely on the functions of personnel in the army. The military institution is made up several officers whose duties are to ensure that there is orderliness with within the rank of soldiers put under his control and that the structures and systems are well implemented. One of such indispensable figures in the implementation of military structures is the non-commissioned officer. The non-commissioned officer however does not work untamed: for the non-commissioned officer to succeed in his role as a leader, he needs to be guided by basic military principles. This is to say that the non-commissioned officer cannot rule within his own discretion but needs to be guided by principles such as the application of the FM 6-22, c ounseling and the seven Army Values. Roles of Non-Commissioned Officers Who is a non-commissioned officer? A non-commissioned officer is a military officer who is given authority through a commissioned officer, but he or she is not technically considered to be in command. Non-commissioned officers rise up through the enlisted ranks, generally with several years of experience to their names before they reach positions of nominal power.The rank an officer has to reach to be accorded the position of a non-commissioned officer varies from country to country and from military force to military force. Also among the ranks, there divisions such as Junior NCOs and Senior NCOs depending on which nation is in question and which military force, be it the Navy, Army or Air Force. In the United States for instance, all ranks of Sergeant in the United States Army, United States Air Force and United States Marine Corps are termed Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) as are Corporals in the Army and Ma rine Corps. However, the rank of Corporal (E-4) in the US Army is known to be a junior NCOs whereas Corporals in the grades (E-7, E-8, and E-9) are referred to as senior noncommissioned officers. The non-commissioned officer can however be generalized to be ‘an enlisted member of the armed forces, such as a corporal, sergeant, or petty officer, appointed to a rank conferring leadership over other enlisted personnel’ (The Free Dictionary, 2003). What are the roles of the non-commissioned officer in the army? The role a non-commissioned officer is supposed to play simply refers to the leadership functions of the officer that is focused on maintaining army values. ‘NCOs must maintain fundamental soldiering at the forefront of everything we do. And that means we must focus on the basics, maintain Army values and facilitate the transformation’ (Anthony, 2001). Even though all roles performed by non-commissioned officers are geared towards enhancing administratio n in the army force, there are varying roles and these roles cut across different areas of operation; defining who may be under the orders or authority of the non-commissioned officer and who may not. In a generalized system however, the role of a particular NCO depends on his rank. The FM 7-22.7 makes a list of five (5) major categories of non-commissioned officers and what their roles are. These categories are classified according to ranks of officers and they are Sergeant Major of the Army, Command Sergeant Major and Sergeant Major, First Sergeant and Master Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant and Sergeant First Class, and Squad, Section and Team Leaders. The Sergeant Major o

Modified Fingernails †Symbols of Social Essay Example for Free

Modified Fingernails – Symbols of Social Essay Western society has not been traditionally attuned to see body adornment as a form of social status. Thus over the years people in the West attribute it to less developed societies which lay emphasis on rituals. Thus body modification was seen as an articulation of values which were essentially non western. (Krakow, 1994). However this does not seem to be the case any more as a greater number of people are willing to modify their bodies thus making body beautification acceptable thereby giving a person social as well as individual identity in a society. Body modification is thus seen as enabling a person to exemplify and attenuate him or her personality through alteration of natural color, shape, tone and tenor. By decoration such as nail painting, gloss and enhancement, a person can project himself in the manner he wants others to perceive. Thus a girl with long nails, fully adorned with polish is seen as one who is in tune with the social image of somebody who has arrived in society. As greater numbers of people are adopting this mode, nail or other forms of body adornment is becoming an expression of actual position held by a person in society. Thus through external embellishments a person is able to define herself to others. Increased acceptance of this practice is indicated by forms adopted in nail adornment such as gluing of plastic to increase the length of the nails so that bright colors, paints and sparklers can be applied to these. (Andersen. Taylor. 2005) The reason for extension of nails is quite obvious, this is to enhance visibility through added length of the body object which is otherwise quite innocuous. By making it longer, the same can be decorated and made more noticeable. But the process also needs specialized treatment, which can come about at a certain level of monetary standing indicating the link between wealth and length or adornment of nails. As societies become more complex, they tend to provide opportunities to people to define their status through adornment of the body. Nails are perfect symbols of such social embellishment. The first requirement of a well kept hand is absence of manual labor. Thus there is obvious connection between a person of high society and well kept hands which indicates social as well as wealth status of a person. This has been ancient tradition and has been carried forth in the modern World. (Peters. Lock, Eds, 1999) Since a large degree of artistry of the body is now made by instruments as lasers, surgical and other tools by experts this has become expensive. Thus body art studios and fingernail manicure specialists have established high end shops, where they are able to manipulate your nails to the desired shape, size and color. By being exclusive in nature, they establish a distinction of economic status. As society has evolved thus body art has assumed proportions of social as well as wealth standing. (Jeffreys, 2000). Over a period this distinction is also translated from overall to individual social status. Thus a person who has manicured, well kept finger nails is associated with wealth as well as standing through a process of exclusion. This exclusion works first monetarily in that as it is expensive those who cannot afford it are denied an opportunity of being in the same class. In the second stage it is seen to work socially as shapes, colors and contours are so distinctive that a person wearing a superior shade of nail polish is easily identified as one who can afford it and hence ipso facto assumes higher standing. Thus from abhorrence as practices which were aboriginal to adoption of body adornment as a form of celebration of ones arrival in high society, fingernail manipulation has assumed a social symbol even in Western society today. Vantoch (1999) explored this evolution of the new American female by denoting the large number of nail adornments of different colors and shapes present in a pre teen’s room. The girl was sporting what can be described as talons, two inches long finger nails. (Vantoch, 1999). The fingernail was converted into a symbol of expression of the persona just like any other accoutrement at a very early age in life. The refined development of the art of the make up in modern times is also responsible for such an evolution. Thus nails have been converted into objects of art and ornamentation by using these for nail jewelry, nail art, air brush design, sculpturing of nails as well as providing green glitter. This has also provided a common touch thereby enhancing a wider number of females in society to higher standing. (Vantoch, 1999). Most interestingly it denotes how society has evolved, from considering these as a possible aboriginal practice to be abhorred by the West, more and more people are using it to express their state of social as well as economic evolution. The utilitarian view of nails as symbol of health has been known over the ages and is seen to continue even to this day. Thus fingernails are many times the first to be seen by a doctor. (Anatomy, 2005). Yellow or green fingernails invariably indicate ill health, a bronchial disease or other conditions which are diagnosed by the family physician. When nail problems persisted, these also indicated that the person required sustained treatment. The ultimate in nail care which has emerged is a combination of health, fashion and social status. Manicure and the higher forms of nail care and manipulation seen in advanced societies today is seen as a symbol of the rich, as one who has arrived in society and also some body who maintains good health. How long will this trend persist remains to be seen, for there are many periods in human evolution wherein short nails were as popular as long. Reference: 1. Anatomy. (2005) Anatomy of a healthy fingernail. Accessed at http://www. cnn. com/HEALTH/library/WO/00020. htmlon 23 March 2007 2. Andersen, Margaret L. Taylor, Howard F. (2005). Sociology: The Essentials. Belmont : Thomson. 3. Jeffreys, Sheila. ‘Body Art’ and Social Status: Cutting, Tattooing and Piercing from a Feminist Perspective. Feminism Psychology, Vol. 10, No. 4, 409-429 (2000) 4. Krakow, A. (1994) The Total Tattoo Book , New York : Warner Books. 5. Peters, Charles, R. Lock, Andrew. (1999). Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution. Oxford : Blackwell. 6. Vantoch, Vicki. (1999). Fingernail Fashion Choices. The Washington Post. December 28, 1999. Accessed at http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-srv/style/feed/a41653-1999dec28. htm on 23 March 2007.

Adelphia Scandal Essay Example for Free

Adelphia Scandal Essay Adelphia was founded in 1952 by John Rigas and his brother Gus Rigas in Coudersport, Pennsylvania with the purchase of their first cable franchise for $300. After 20 years, the Rigas brothers incorporated their company under the name Adelphia which derived its name from a Greek word which means brothers, an apt corporate title for a business that would employ generations of the Rigas family. Adelphia was a cable television company and built its success on a strong commitment to customer care; and because of this commitment, a glorious growth spree would follow. By 1998, Adelphia passed the two million-customer milestone and served approximately 5.6 million cable television customers nationwide. The company made significant strides in product development and the implementation of fiber optic technology and expanded their home and business offerings to include digital cable, local and long distance telephone services, messaging, enhanced data, high-speed Internet and video services . John Rigas managed Adelphia from its corporate headquarters in Coudersport, PA. His brother Gus sold his interest in Adelphia in 1983. And after some time, Johns sons Michael, Timothy and James, serve as executive vice presidents, directors and principal stockholders. John built Adelphia on a strong commitment to family, community, quality service and customer care which became the core values and culture of the company. The Evolution of Adelphia In August of 1986, Adelphia Communications went public. Its first three years were focused on generating revenue by increasing its customer base through mergers and acquisitions. Although the companys profitability had suffered as a result of the ambitious expansion, its revenue-generating capabilities had not. From the $30 million generated in sales during its first year, annual sales shot up to $131 million in 1988. Adelphia continued to make its presence known by making several important acquisitions of other cable systems such as the Suburban Buffalo System from Comax Telcom Corp., the South Dade System from Americable Associates, Ltd., New Castle System from Cablentertainment, Inc., and Jones Intercable which was the third largest cable system operator in New York during that time. Moreover, Adelphia entered into a partnership with unaffiliated parties to form Olympus Communications in southeast Florida which became a powerful money-making business as it served roughly 250,000 subscribers in West Palm Beach area. Adelphia was performing admirably and continued to expand by making other acquisitions and consolidation maneuvers through 1999 and 2000, bringing its subscriber base up to an impressive 5.5 million. Though the company was heavily indebted after the succession of major purchases of other cable companies, equipment, and infrastructures, analysts were looking favorably on Adelphia as late as January 2002, noting that the company was well positioned for acquisition or merger with another major cable company. The Discovery of the Fraud Oren Cohen, a high-yield-bond analyst for Merrill Lynch had followed Adelphia for a decade and thought there was something about the familys spending that didnt add up. Hed noticed that the Rigases were buying their own stock aggressively, but he couldnt figure out how they were paying for it. They didnt appear to have the cash themselves. John Rigas made $1.4 million in 2000. Michael, Tim, and James each took home $237,000. The Rigases didnt have any sources of income outside Adelphia. They never sold their stock, and it didnt pay a dividend. Cohen was pretty sure their private cable systems werent throwing off cash. But every time Cohen tried to get an explanation, Adelphia rebuffed him. On March 27, 2002, however, Adelphia officials disclosed $2.3 billion in previously unrecorded debt incurred through co-borrowings between Adelphia and other Rigas family entities under the umbrella of the familys private trust, Highland Holdings. Under these loan agreements, the Rigas entities were responsible for repaying the debt, but if they were unable to do so, Adelphia would be liable. Cohen was astounded to see the footnote disclosure and pressed Tim Rigas for details at the end of a conference call that day. Things in Coudersport quickly spun out of control as shareholders asked for clarity and transparency. The revelations and the investigation that followed sent the company spiraling deeper and deeper into a scandal that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) eventually called, one of the most extensive financial frauds ever to take place at a public company . The stock continued to fall and on May 15, 2002 John Rigas resigned as chairman and CEO.

Using Roleplay To Help Students Learn English

Using Roleplay To Help Students Learn English 1. INTRODUCTION The more students talk, the better they learn; Speaking skill is not given special significance in the teaching of English in Vietnamese universities. Traditional English education in Vietnam focuses heavily on reading skill. Also, many Vietnamese students and even teachers have examination-orientation. In the first semester, students start the elementary level with the textbooks Lifeline set (Hutchinson, 2001). The textbook cover four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. The assessment at the end of each semester is based on a written test involving reading and writing skills only. As a result, pre intermediate students spend more time improving reading and writing skills and mostly ignoring listening and speaking skills. This fact happens at not a single university in Vietnam but across the country. In the first semester, pre intermediate students do not have many chances to communicate in English; therefore, their speaking skill is restricted with lack of naturalness, reaction and pronunciation. Many are shy to speak out in English as they are afraid that listeners cant understand well what they say. Role play is considered one teaching method which motivates pre intermediate students to get involved in speaking lessons. In opinion of James G. Clawson (1997, p.2), role play is a superb vehicle for bringing the distiction between concept and reality to the fore. During role play, students are motivated to perform and act and speak in English class. They are challenged to use their English words in mind to apply into simple conversation in daily life. This indeed enables them to get familiar with normal conversation in their real life. Also, motivation influences how and why people learn as well as how they perform (Chin Chun Shih, 2001). While role play contributes to affect students attitudes positively and improve their English speaking skills, there is little research examining its effectiveness towards pre intermediate students in universities. In Vietnam, much of the research focuses on role play aiming at junior high schools students in foreign countries like Hong Kong, Japan and Korea. There is little research that indicates how role-play could influence students learning attitudes directly. Scarcella Oxford (1992, p.54) also pointed out that most researchers talk about using cooperative learning activities or student-centered learning in order not to put too much pressure on an individual student in front of the class. Therefore, this particular research is intended to focus on the effectiveness of role play in teaching speaking skills for pre intermediate students. Based on the above rationale, this research tends to seek answers to two below research questions: What are pre-intermediate students attitudes toward the role-play activity? In what way does role play improve pre-intermediate students speaking skills? Generally, this research aims at making clear two important aspects of role play: affecting attitudes positively and improving speaking skills properly. Firstly, this research shows how role -play has a direct effect on learners attitudes. Secondly, this research intends to point out how role play help improve their speaking skills in particular. The structure of this research includes the context and methodology as the qualitative method. Data will be collected via oral test, interview and observation, which will then described and analyzed in item data analysis. Next, the content of reflection shows what is gained and which possibly further research questions are. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Definitions of terms Role-play can be divided into role and play. Gillian (2002, p.7) refers role as to play a part (either their own or somebody elses) in a specific situation. He also indicates that Play represents the role is taken on in a safe environment in which students are as inventive and playful as possible (p.5). This teaching method enables students to enjoy the experience of having conversations with people in real life so as to develop their social communication. The function of role-play in language learning Teaching English in Vietnam mostly concentrates on grammar translation methods and is examination oriented. Adian Doff and Maxwell (2002, 1997) pointed out the problems of those English teaching methods, and argued that there is a need to develop more diverse English teaching methods or activities. Vietnamese students have common weakness reportedly as their speaking ability. They have little chance to practice conversation, even in the second language classrooms. In order to encourage students to speak in public, role -play is often used by teachers as one of the teaching methods. Maxwell (1997) holds the opinion that the purpose of role-play is to improve students verbal and nonverbal communication skills and to link and use previously built schemas, in both structured and improvised situations (p.1). This viewpoint shows that role -play could improve students in verbal or nonverbal communication while they are performing the roles in the dialogue. James G. Clawson (1997, p. 4) pointed that A common theme in the benefits of using role play is that the techninque can bring abstract discussions alive, make them live, and in so doing, open up students willingness to learn When taking part in the dialogues created by teachers or extracted from the text books, students will be required to act as the characters in the dialogues, therefore, they will find it easier to use the conversation in daily lives. Daily conversation will create lots of unpredictable situations that make students confused how to deal with. As noted by Salies (1995, p.6), role-play helps learn ers to deal with unpredictability, motivating them by adding emotion and increase the awareness of the listeners. Accordingly, role-play helps create a safe environment for students to practice their language skills. The influence of role play on attitudes Attitude plays an important role in learning English speaking skill. Without adequate and appropriate attitudes, pre-intermediate students are usually unwilling to learn what their teachers try to teach them. To make a change about students learning attitudes, teachers can use role play to increase their confidence because role-play proves to be a good choice for them to understand and handle the learning content. James G. Clawson (1997, p4) indicated that role play helps improve learners abilities to communicate their thoughts and feelings in effective and productive ways among peers. They will find themselves better motivated to learn if they are recognized as a part of the class. Motivation is important because it helps create good start. Role-play can also help reinforce students knowledge gained through constant practice and acting. Also, students learn to how to cooperate well with each other through working and discussing English together, which will lead to mutual affection. He pointed that emotional climate is a good motivation during learning process (Ray, 1992, p.9). Students can gain more confidence in a safe environment brought by role play method. The learning environment ha s become particularly important for students. Ray (1992) also agreed that students prefer a consistent learning environment with good order at which they feel safe. (p.5). In other words, students can learn better in a little pressure environment. Furthermore, role-play helps create peer relationships which have become very important in improving attitudes. Ray said that the main motivational factor for pre intermediate students is the social incentives reflected in peer relationships (1992, p.13). The speaking and practicing subjects would be their classmates, who are familiar to the students and cause them less pressure and nervousness. Students work in small or big groups and there is a competitiveness among these groups. By this kind of stimulus, students are able to increase their learning attitudes, and to learn the second language further. Therefore, in the context of this research study, the findings above show that role-play could affect students attitudes positively in four aspects: improving students confidence, motivating their participation, creating interest in speaking lessons, and improving peer relationships through moderate competition. In conclusion, the literature above may lead to the fact that the main function of role-play is to help students improve speaking skills. Below context will indicate that there is a need to examine how role-play can facilitate students speaking ability in Vietnams education environment. 3. CONTEXT In Vietnam, the teaching of English has been criticized with lack of practice and heavy focus on written examination. In most universities in Vietnam, students are tested in written form, meanwhile, oral tests are ignored since they are time consuming and too difficult for students. Many pre- intermediate students are reported with lack of English communicative ability due to their emphasis on the written exam in previous grades. Adian Doff (2002) stated that teachers would look at prior tests to assure that they covered the subject matter of the test or test objectives (p.2). The Entrance Exam is the main examination for high school students to enter university. There are two parts of questions. The first part include multiple choice grammar questions for each of which students must choose the best answer. The second part is a reading comprehension assessment that includes cloze tests (Ministry of Education and Training, 1999). Thus, students focus on writing and reading rather than speaking skills. Also, starting their learning in universities, pre-intermediate students are lack of chance to improve their speaking skills. They feel shy and can hardly speak and listen to English in their daily lives. Although they are taught the curriculum Lifeline set (Hutchinson, 2001) with four skills, the speaking skills are often ignored due to limited time in one period. Grammar or reading exercises are taken greater priority. Besides, teaching speaking seems to put a lot of effort into and not every teacher will be successful in a speaking lesson. As a matter of fact, so many teachers of English in Vietnam universities are trained with grammar translation method. That is the reason why they will face a big challenge to create an environment in which students are given more opportunities to use English as a means of communication. It has become more and more difficult for Vietnamese teachers when they have to work with large classes which are more suitable to give lectures instead of asking students to work in small groups. Teachers of English make it impossible to control such large classes if they have intention of teaching English in communicative way. A serious problem teachers in Vietnam have to tackle is that although there is a number of a method of teaching speaking skill, it is not easy at all to find out appropriate methods which help Vietnamese students, especially those at pre-intermediate leve l make some improvements in speaking skill. Researchers argue that role-play can help learners improve it. Firstly, role-play helps improve students listening ability. In viewpoint of Salies (1995, p.8), role-play makes students aware of the listener. Therefore, listening ability is as important as speaking ability and role-play might help to improve this skill. Secondly, role -play contributes to improve speaking ability. In order to speak well in a daily conversation, one should take consideration about the pronunciation as well because clear pronunciation helps speaking become two-way communication. In this case, while students are performing in speaking lessons, teachers will be able to listen to each students pronunciation and correct him/her individually during speaking sessions. In conclusion, the context above is critical because it indicates that there is a need to examine how role-play can facilitate pre intermediate students speaking ability in Vietnams universities. 4. METHODOLOGY According to C. Pope and N. Mays (1995), the goal of qualitative research is the development of concepts which help us to understand social phenomena in natural (rather than experimental) settings, giving due emphasis to the meanings, experiences, and views of all the participants. In the researchers viewpoint, qualitative method is proper to discover pre-students attitudes towards role play and how role play motivates them in speaking lessons. This part presents subjects, data collection instruments consisting of oral tests, interview and observation via two role play activities. 4.1. Subjects Participants Six students are randomly chosen. All are between the age of 19 and 20 and study English at pre-intermediate level. Students at pre-intermediate level but not other levels are chosen as they have more chance to take part in communication activities. In order to get an exact result, the participants English speaking ability is different. The backgrounds of participants are stated below. Name Sex Background English Level Nam Male He is quite good at English. He performs enthusiastically and confidently in English class. Good Mai Female Her English is at medium. However, she is willing to learn and perform in class. Medium Trung Male He is a person who is enthusiastic in English lesson even though his English is not as good as others. Medium Hoa Female Her English level is medium. She is very shy. She likes English, especially English speaking skill. But she is too shy to perform in class. Medium Sy Male He likes taking part in all games in class. Although his English is not good, he is not afraid to speak English. Not good Phuong Female She likes to talk loud in class, but not in English. Due to her weakness at English she seems to be very quiet in English lessons. Not good Teaching materials The main pilot teaching material is The New Headway Pre-intermediate textbook compiled by Liz John Soars. There are two dialogues used in this research. The researcher asked the informants to play the roles of the dialogues. Students are voluntarily encouraged to contribute their own ideas to make the play role activities more creative and interesting. 4.2. Instruments of data collection 4.2.1. Oral tests and Interviews Two oral tests and interviews were conducted for this study with the participation of six students. The first oral test was done before the two-week experiment, and the second oral test was held after the experiment of the two-week experiment. Moreover, during the interview the researcher asked them related questions to clarify the purpose of the study. Yes-no questions and WH- questions that students have to answer are included in oral test questions. Yes-no questions are for students who can not have long answers, and WH- questions are for students who are at better learners. The questions are displayed in Appendix A. After finishing the pre-oral test, the study proceeded to the main part, which was role-play. During role-play, I interviewed every student individually. The interview questions were based on some basic questions but might be changed to adapt the situations and students reactions (see Appendix C). Moreover, students were interviewed in their mother tongue so that they felt at ease to express their feelings. When the pre-oral test, two role play activities and interview were finished, it was time to examine how students improve their speaking ability. And the post-oral test was done to compare the students performances from the beginning to the end (see Appendix A). 4.2.2. Observation The researcher observed six pre-intermediate students participation during two role play activities. The observation in this study was done via my note-taking or keeping diary, and tape-recording through the pilot teaching. The purpose of this part is to see what pre-intermediate students behaviors are when role play is employed as a speaking activity. Furthermore, during the pilot teaching, tape recording was also carried out to get the data for the research. The students utterances were recorded and analyzed later to find out how the role play was used and how it motivated students. 5. DATA ANALYSIS Descriptive data are analyzed by qualitative method. 5.1. Descriptive data of oral tests The oral tests were arranged and conducted at the participants convenience. The oral tests (see Appendix A) were given before and after the two-week experiment. In order to give descriptive data of oral tests, interviews and observation, I have based on seven criteria to review pre-intermediate students English speaking ability including: 1) the influency of speaking, 2) the frequency of using words that have been taught, 3) the accuracy of grammar application, 4) the listening skills absorption, 5) the anxiety of students, 6) the accuracy of pronunciation, 7) the pause while interviewing. The oral tests showed that students speaking ability did improve after the use of role-play. Specifically, three fourth of the participants spoke more fluently. While doing the oral test, I also felt that students would try hard to answer in English. They might not give complete sentences, but they would manage to use the words they had learned. They also tried to use correct grammar when giving answers. However, some students who were not good at English such as Sy and Phuong sometimes produced wrong grammar sentences. Moreover, students not only understood what I asked during the oral tests, but also tried hard to listen to whole sentences and digested them. I, myself, had a strong feeling that students tried very hard to pay attention to the post-oral test, because most students had enthusiastic responses with me. Moreover, students anxiety had been decreased during the second oral test. One of the reasons that the researcher postulated was that students were familiar with the res earcher, and might not be afraid to speak English. They also learned how to pay due attention to their pronunciation while performing in front of their classmates. This also made them have better pronunciation during the oral tests. Some of them even tried to improve their pronunciation by making repetition of what they spoke. The pause frequency of interviewees was really high during the first oral tests, but it seemed lower during the second. Some students said I dont know or I have no idea when they could not find the answers to the questions. In general, the oral-tests showed that role-play had a positive influence on pre-elementary students speaking skill. Most students might not have the ability to answer in complete sentences, but they showed positive attitudes during the oral tests. They paid due attention to the questions, and answered the questions using the vocabulary they had learnt, which showed their willingness to attempt to learn English in general and speak English in particular. Therefore, I can conclude that role-play not only stimulated students when they learned English in speaking lessons, but also made them eager to learn more. 5.2. Descriptive data of observation In order to assess the participation and effectiveness of using role-play in speaking lessons, I based on four levels: 1-3 (bad), 4-6 (medium), 7-9 (good), 10 (excellent). In this part, I would like to use two dialogues and asked participants to play role (see appendix B). For the first role play activity, the researcher used the telephone conversation between the receptionist and client in book New Headway Pre-intermediate by Liz and John Soars (p.77, unit 9). I asked the participants to work in pairs which mean three couples did the same role play. In order to make the role play more effective and to have an exact observation, I asked Nam to work with Mai, Trung with Phuong, and Sy with Hoa. Nam, Trung, Sy played the role of the receptionist whereas Mai, Phuong, Hoa played the role of the client. The researcher instructed first and three pairs presented in turn. During the role play activity, I would observe, take notes, and record. The first role play is easy and simple so that students can feel comfortable and confident to take part in. The results of observation basing on the four levels are presented as below. For the second role play activity, the researcher used a more difficult role play activity which was extracted from the book New Headway Pre-intermediate by Liz and John Soars (p.57, unit 7). This role play was an interview with the band Style. Participants had to play the role of an interviewer a journalist and the role of two interviewees Suzie and Guy. In this part, students worked in group of three. Nam, Mai, Sy were the first group. Trung, Hoa, Phuong were the second group. Nam, Hoa who are better at English were the interviewers. The rest were the interviewees in which Mai, Phuong played the role of Suzie, and Sy, Trung played the role of Guy. Similar to the first role play, the researcher instructed first, and the two groups presented in turn. The results of observation from the second role play activity basing on the four levels are stated as below. The second role play After experiencing the two role-play activities, the researcher found that the pre-elementary students English speaking ability has been improved. Specifically, four out of six participants made a clear progress in the influence of speaking ability, and the ability of expressing him/her self. Moreover, half of participants used grammar more correctly. Also, half of participants became more confident such as Mai, Trung, Sy. In addition, Nam the best participant at English speaking improved his vocabulary. Thus, the observations results show that pre-students English speaking skill has been improved when the researcher uses the role play in speaking lessons. 5.3. Descriptive data of interview The interview was conducted during and after role play. All the students were interviewed once. Additionally, the interviews were conducted in Vietnamese. During the interviews, the whole procedure was recorded and taken notes. The questions of interview are available in Appendix C When being asked to compare the traditional teaching method most of the students answered that they really like the role-play teaching method. They explained that role-play gave them a joyful feeling and avoid being sleepy in class. In general, most students feel that role play is an interesting teaching activity and they really like it. In other words, their feeling of this teaching method is positive. For example, one of the interviewees, Hoa, expressed that: Well, I extremely like this teaching activity. It helps me be more confident in speaking English. Especially, it makes me more interested in lesson instead of being sleepy. I always feel bored and sleepy in lessons which are given in a traditional way. Another participant Nam said that: I think using role play in speaking lessons is good because we get more confident when playing role and speaking in front of other friends. I like this teaching method than the traditional method. For the second question Do you think that your speaking skill has been improved after doing role-play in class? all participants answer Yes. For example, Sy pointed out that role-play can help him improve his speaking skill: I thinkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ my speaking is better after doing role-play several times. My speaking ability seems to be more fluent. Andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.I feel more confident. When replying this question, Trung also determined that his speaking English skill had been improved. He said Ummà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.You know that now I can speak English a little bit fluently. I feel more confident to speak in front of other students. Does it mean that my English speaking skill has been improved? Furthermore, I asked the participants whether there are any negative sides when applying role-play in class. And most of them answered that the problem is the class order was not very good in that case. Sometimes, there was too much noise for students to act in class. Participants, however, still show a positive attitude. Mai said: I think noise is unavoidable when we learn speaking skill. I really like this kind of teaching activity. It is fun. It makes me want to study English and want to speak English in class. However, in order to add to the negative sides of using role play in class, Hoa stated that Sometimes role play takes much time. In my opinion, it is a negative side of role play. I asked the students if it was tiring or stressful for them to plan the dialogues beforehand. As a result, most students showed a positive response to the preparation. Phuong who is not good at English expressed that I feel difficult to have a good preparation at first. My English is not very good. I can not study it at home without teachers instruction. However, after preparing for the class for several times, I start to feel that preview is really important. I know the lesson prior to class and I can understand what the teacher talks about in class. Furthermore, as I have had preparation before class, I become less nervous and shy when speaking on the stage in English. Similarly, Trung said eagerly: Well, my teacher also asked us to prepare in advance. For the first time I felt quiet tired because I didnt get familiar with this learning method. But for the third time, everything seemed to be better. And now I have no problem with preparation in advance. When observing participants doing the first role-play, the researcher recognized that some of the students were very extroverted. However when they were asked to perform the role play in class, they started to keep avoiding from this opportunity. I wanted to know what resulted in such a reaction. Some students told me that they were really shy; some of them could not find out the proper way to act. However, after doing the second role-play the participants responses seemed to be more positive. They participated to the activity more enthusiastically. They did not appear to be shy any more. For example, Trung said that I am an extroverted person. However, I dont feel confident when speaking English in class because I know that my English is not good and as a result, I dont want to speak English in class. But now I feel better. After doing the first and the second role-play activities I recognize that theres no reason to be shyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦please take part in the activity, please spea k. Wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is really good. In short, most of the participants hold the positive attitudes to the role-play teaching activity in speaking lessons. For example, students showed more interest in learning speaking English with the role -play activity, students agreed that role-play helped improve their speaking skills, and they showed higher willingness to perform in public. 6. REFLECTION This study was designed to research the effectiveness of using the role-play to motivate pre-intermediate students in speaking lessons. There were six participants in the research. Also, the researcher used qualitative method to do the research in which oral tests, interviews, and observation are used to collect data. Based on the results of the study, the findings have been drawn. These findings are: (1) participants have a positive attitude to role-play in speaking lessons. (2) Role-play motivates pre-intermediate students in learning speaking. Moreover, the findings of this study may offer three practical implications for English teachers in Vietnam to help students develop speaking ability. The first implication for English teachers is that they should apply a communicative teaching technique in English speaking classes such as role play. However, role play should be merged with the traditional English teaching. The second implication is that teachers can affect students learning attitudes/motivation positively by lively activities. The last implication is to provide a safe environment with tender discipline in class because this will make student feel more comfortable and eager to learn, especially to speak English in class. In other words, English teaching in Vietnam should be added lively and interesting communicative teaching methods in class, especially in English speaking class. I believe that the study is successful. Also, it is proper to use the qualitative method for this study. However, there is one limitation which may influence the outcome of the study. The limitation referred in this study is time limitation. Because of limited time, I can only give two role-play activities to experience and test the effectiveness of role-play on pre-intermediate students. Suggestions for further research In order to have a more accurate and complete result, further study can be done with the cooperation of the involved students English teacher. Working with the English teacher is advantageous as he/she might help me understand every students English level in a short time. Moreover, it would be better to have two instructors to review students during oral tests and performances. Besides role-play, I would like to add some other activities to class and think of some interesting topics for students to act in role-play. It would be boring if the whole period of class was proceeding in the role-play teaching activity only, thus, added activities may help students concentrate in class more effectively. The dialogues in students textbooks did not really attract them. Students already had those contents in their regular English classes. It would affect students attitudes/motivation positively if there were more interesting topics for students to discuss and act. Last but not least, in a future research, I may have more chances to videotape the whole process of the experiment which includes the oral tests, interviews and performances. Students gestures, facial expressions or body languages could serve as the sources to interpret their intentions as well. Besides, some non-verbal languages could appear beyond expectation, so those expressions are also important for descriptive data. 7. CONCLUSION I would like to conclude my research in two aspects. Firstly, role play is not beneficial only for the pre intermediate students but even students of upper levels as well as lower levels. Role play proves to be a good way to motivate English learners to speak out what they want to say. In fact, students have to experience different situations in real life. The final and the most important goal of teaching English is none other than helping students use English in those situations. Role-play creates many daily situations for students to practice their English. In addition, it really creates a safe environment and productive learning environment in language class which would be interesting to absorb knowledge. Secondly, although role play works well in speaking lessons as well as with pre-intermediate university students, it is not the only method for teachers to apply in every lesson. In other words, there are numerous different ways Vietnamese teachers are offered to apply to motivate students communicate in English naturally and effectively, to affect their attitudes positively and to increase s

Psychodelic Drugs Essay -- essays research papers

Psychodelic Drugs Alcohol Alcohol is one of the most widely used drugs in this society. It is accepted as a part of social life. Its use is widely promoted via sponsorship of sporting events. Advertising infers that drinking is the path to happiness, success, romance, etc. There are references to alcohol and its effects from earliest known writings. Alcohol is consumed in the beverage form and sold legally in this state to persons over 21. Alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine. It is distributed by the blood throughout the body, affecting literally every organ it touches in a matter of minutes. Enzymes in the liver metabolize alcohol at a rate of 10-15 ml (less than one half ounce) per hour. Hence, only time can sober someone up. Coffee, cold showers, or exercise do not work. The warm glow of disinhibition, "letting go" is a major desired effect of alcohol. People feel more sociable and talkative with small amounts of the drug. Alcohol is a relaxant, so many people drink to unwind from the demands of life. Because alcohol has been around for so long, its effects are well-known. Two key concepts to understand in dealing with alcohol use and abuse are impairment and tolerance. They are both problems in themselves and signals of possible additional difficulties. IMPAIRMENT refers to the deficits in performance, judgment, memory, and motor skills which occur because of alcohol consumption. Impairment becomes noticeable at blood levels of 0.05%, which can occur when as few as two drinks are consumed in an hour by a 160 pound person. The deceptive part about impairment is that, by definition, impaired judgment cannot recognize its own impairment. The individual thinks he or she is functioning well, when actually s/he is not. Later, there is impaired memory of the impaired performance. TOLERANCE means that a drug loses some of its effect with repeated use, and that higher and higher doses are needed. It is the body's way of adapting to having a foreign substance in the system. People develop a high tolerance to alcohol when they drink a great deal over an extended length of time. "WHILE T... ...V Class C Misdemeanors some depressants1 Valium-type tranquilizers, some less potent depressants 30 days $500 SCHEDULE V Violation Dilute mixtures, compounds with small amounts of controlled drugs None $1,000 Delivery of less than five grams or possession or less than one ounce of marijuana is a violation. established mandatory evaluation, education and treatment services for those under 18 years old. If services are successfully completed, the charge will be dropped. Alcohol is an illegal drug for those under 21 years of age. For a driver under 18 ANY detectable amount of alcohol (above .00 BAC) is grounds for losing the license. That pretty much sums it up for psychodelic drugs. I hope this proved to you that if you use a psychodelic drug that you should stop, unless it is alchol because it is not as bad as LSD, pcp, or anything you have to inject or snort. So I sign out with I hope you learned something, I mean you had to you could'ent have know all of this information. Biblyography Name Year Type Microsoft Encarta 96' Encyclopedia Dartmouth collage 95' Brochure White House 97' Internet